Darren McKay

State Champion Northeast High

South Florida Water Polo Club

All Broward County

All American

Hill School

United States Naval Academy, Annapolis

Navy Water Polo Team

Older article (5/1/11) from the Miami Herald

Water Polo | State Championships

Ransom girls best Winter Park to win state water polo title

It took a while to ultimately finish, but Ransom’s girls claimed their third consecutive state title Saturday.

BY EVAN DREXLER

MIAMI HERALD WRITER

ORLANDO -- The final second stayed on the scoreboard for five minutes.

But a timeout by Winter Park and a disturbance in the stands only delayed the inevitable state championship for Ransom Everglades.

“It was ours,” said Ransom coach Eric Lefebvre, still wet from a fully clothed postmatch victory lap. “I don’t usually get too demonstrative with cheering, but I couldn’t help it. I was just like, ‘Give it to me!’ ”

The final second eventually did come off the clock, and Lefebvre and his Raiders got their state championship trophy with a tense 9-5 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday night.

The state title is Ransom’s third in a row and maybe its least expected considering the players it lost from last season and the competition it faced Saturday.

Though Winter Park came into the match with an intimidating 27-1 record, a 2-1 mark against Ransom this season, a huge advantage in the stands and eye black and black lipstick on its players, Ransom (23-3) never showed that it anticipated anything but victory.

The Raiders took a 3-0 lead in the first nine minutes, and even when the Wildcats tied the game at three, there was no worry from Ransom.

Instead, the Raiders scored the next three goals — two by Chelsea Johnson and one from Laura Simko — and held their lead for the rest of the game.

“The hungriest dog eats,” said goalie Ashleigh Johnson, who had two stretches of seven minutes or more without allowing a goal. “Whoever wants it the most gets it.”

In the day’s first semifinal, Ransom earned its spot in the title game with a 17-8 win against Gulliver Prep.

Down 12-5 at halftime, Gulliver (21-6) rallied with three third-quarter goals to make it a four-goal game. But Ransom ended Gulliver’s season by notching five goals in the final period.

“They were hustling,” Gulliver coach Carroll Vaughan said. “The girls never gave up. I’m so proud of them, to be honest with you. They had an amazing season for how far they have come.”

GULLIVER BOYS FALL

The Gulliver boys’ team fell just short in the state championship game for the third year in a row, dropping a tight contest to Boca Raton St. Andrew’s 11-8.

The game was tied 8-8 early in the fourth quarter, but St. Andrew’s scored the final three goals to repeat as champions.

The Raiders (22-3), who came into the match as underdogs, gave the Scots (28-0) all they could handle.

“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, we’re right in this,’ ” Vaughan said. “It’s our opportunity.”

Hunter Pellitier got the tying goal with 6:24 to play, but that was the last time the Raiders would score.

St. Andrew’s Rafi Castillo nailed the upper-left corner of the goal little more than a minute later, and the Scots got an insurance goal from Adam Weigel with 1:20 left when it appeared the setting sun poked through the windows of the YMCA Aquatic Center and left Raiders goalie Kenny Cutler unable to see the ball.

Otherwise, Cutler played well to keep his side in the game, stopping multiple one-on-ones.

“We stayed right until the last second and never gave up,” Vaughan said. “I was very thrilled that my boys played up to that level. I’m hoping to be back here next year. That’s our hope.”

Gulliver knocked off Orlando Dr. Phillips with ease in the semifinals to advance to the title game, starting the second and third periods with 4-0 runs to pull away.

CYPRESS BAY LOSES

Eventual state champion Boca Raton St. Andrew’s handled Cypress Bay easily in a boys’ state semifinal Saturday afternoon.

The Lightning (14-9) fell to the Scots 23-4, never leading and never getting closer than five goals after the first quarter.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/30/2194982/ransom-girls-best-winter-park.html#ixzz1QDnbQaTe

Women's Roster For FINA World Championships

USA Women's Water Polo National Team Announced

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, June 21. The top ranked USA Water Polo  Women's National has announced their roster for the upcoming FINA World Championships. The team is coming off a Gold Medal at the 2011 FINA World  League Super Final and will open competition at the FINA World Championships on July 17 against the Netherlands in Shanghai, China. Head Coach Adam Krikorian has selected a group of 13 athletes that includes eight returning Olympians including seven from the 2008 Silver Medal winning squad. In addition the roster includes eight returning members of the 2009 World Championship team from Rome, Italy and five athletes making their first appearance at a World Championships.  The USA Women are the only women's water polo nation to have won three FINA World Championships (2003, 2007, 2009) and will be looking for their third straight World Championship in China.  For USA schedule information at the 2011 FINA World Championships click here, for more visit the official website at http://www.shanghai-fina2011.com/en/.  2011 FINA World Championships Roster  GK - Tumua Anae (Newport Beach, CA/USC/SoCal)  GK - Betsey Armstrong (Ann Arbor, MI/Michigan/NYAC)  C- Kami Craig (Santa Barbara, CA/USC/Santa Barbara WPF)  C - Annika Dries (Laguna Beach, CA/Stanford/SET)  A - Courtney Mathewson (Anaheim Hills, CA/UCLA/NYAC)  A - Heather Petri (Orinda, CA/California/NYAC)  A - Kelly Rulon (San Diego, CA/UCLA/NYAC)  D - Melissa Seidemann (Walnut Creek, CA/Stanford/Stanford)  D - Jessica Steffens (Danville, CA/Stanford/NYAC)  D - Maggie Steffens (Danville, CA/Monte Vista HS/Diablo)  A -Brenda Villa (Commerce, CA/Stanford/Commerce)  AA - Lauren Wenger (Long Beach, CA/USC/NYAC)  D- Elsie Windes (Portland, OR/California/Tulatin Hills WP)  GK - Goalkeeper  A - Attacker  C - Center  D - Defender  AA - All-Around

World University Games Roster

USA Men's Water Polo Roster Announced 

HUNTINGTON BEACH, California, June 22. Head Coach Marc Hunt has announced the Men's World University Games roster that will compete at the World University Games this August 11-23 in Shenzhen, China. The squad represents some of the best recent college aged talent the United States has to offer. Team USA has been slotted in Group C along with Serbia, France, and Singapore and will meet those teams  in group play to start off the tourney opening with Singapore on August 11.  Team USA has had success in the event earning consecutive first place finishes in 1991 and 1993. The 1991 title came under the direction of UC-Irvine's Ted Newland in Sheffield, England while the most recent championship team was guided by the  late Steve Heaston of Cal in 1993 in Buffalo, New York. The United States last competed in the World University Games in 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia claiming a sixth place finish.  Visit the official World University Games website to learn more. The Women's World University Games Roster led by Head Coach Matt Anderson will be announced  in the coming weeks.  2011 Men's World University Games Roster  D - Greg Enloe (UC-Irvine '09/Newport WPF)  GK - Chay Lapin (UCLA '09/LA Water Polo)  D - Griffin Lerman (UC-Irvine '10/Newport WPF)  A - JP MacDonnell (Pepperdine '09/Olympic Club)  A - Cory Nasoff (California '11/Lamorinda)  A - Matt Sagehorn (USC '09/NYAC)  C - Jeff Schwimer (Stanford '10/LA Water Polo)  D - Peter Sefton (Stanford '11/Stanford)  C - Clayton Snyder (Pepperdine '09/Olympic Club)  GK - Andy Stevens (LMU '10/NYAC)  A - Drac Wigo (Stanford '09/NYAC) SFWPC / Northeast High A - Janson Wigo (Stanford '09)/NYAC) SFWPC / Northeast High A - Sage Wright (Stanford '10/Olympic Club)  Head Coach - Marc Hunt  Assistant Coach - John Abdou  Assistant Coach - Boyd LaChance  Manager - Ashley Papenbrock

Wireless Horn

Colorado Time Systems Introduces New Portable Wireless Water Polo Horn  

LOVELAND, Colorado, June 23. COLORADO Time Systems (CTS), a global leader in precision aquatic timing and scoring, introduces their new Portable Wireless Water Polo Horn. This new wireless water polo horn offers many different options for facilities, a portable version, which can be placed anywhere on deck without any cables or wires in addition to a wall-mounted version.  "CTS recognized the need for an improved water polo horn that provided more portability and flexibility." said Anita Sayed, CEO of Colorado Time Systems. "With this new horn it can be run at any location and facilities can customize it for their environment, meaning, add multiple horns to adjust for crowd noise and adjust the volume when needed."  The wireless water polo horn can be connected to a Colorado Time Systems  LED scoreboard and act as a wireless receiver. Which means, data sent from the Timing Console through a Sky-Fi Wireless Adapter is sent wirelessly to the  horn. The horn wirelessly receives the data, sounds when called upon, and transmits the data to the scoreboard. The scoreboard then displays the data. The horn can also be connected directly to the Timing Console. The horn sounds when called upon, and also transmits the scoreboard data wirelessly to other wireless devices (Wireless Pace Clock/Shot, etc.).  About Colorado Time Systems (CTS): Based in Loveland, Colorado, Colorado Time Systems has evolved from being a division of Hewlett- Packard nearly 4 decades ago, into an independent global leader in aquatics sports precision timing & scoring solutions, with installations in over 120 countries and used at several high profile world championships every year.

World League News

USA Defeats China 13-6 on Day Two of FINA World League Super Final; 
Serbia Tops USA Men 11-5 On Day Three 

FLORENCE, Italy, June 23. THE USA Men's National Team closed out group play at the FINA World League Super Final with an 11-5 loss to Serbia. Jesse Smith (Coronado, CA/Pepperdine/NYAC) scored two goals  to lead the USA attack. The United States now takes on a to be determined opponent in the quarterfinal round tomorrow.  Serbia came out of the gates early with a goal less than a minute into the match for a 1-0 lead. That was quickly answered by the United States when Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) found the cage for a 1-1 match. Serbia would rebound with two straights goals after that to close out the period in front 3-1. In the second period Serbia again hit early scoring at the 7:12 mark to make it 4-1. Smith came back with his first goal of the day to bring it back to two goals at 4-2 but then Serbia went on a mini three goal run to lead 7-2 at halftime.  The Serbians went up 9-2 midway through the third quarter when Smith  hit again to stop their run and bring the score closer at 9-3. Serbia finished the quarter up 10-3 and was in control as the game moved to  the final quarter. Ryan Bailey (Long Beach, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) and Jeff Powers (San Luis Obispo, CA/UC-Irvine/Newport WPF) scored in the fourth quarter but it was not enough to rally back as Serbia came away winners at 11-5.  Scoring - Scoresheet  USA 5 (1, 1, 1, 2) J. Smith 2, J. Powers 1, T. Azevedo 1, R. Bailey 1  SRB 11 (3, 4, 3, 1)  Yesterday - USA Men Down China 13-6  Florence, Italy - June 22 - The USA Men's National Team got back on track with a 13-6 victory over China on day two of the FINA World League Super Final. Tony Azevedo (Long Beach, CA/Stanford/NYAC) led the offense with four goals in a match that saw six different scorers for Team USA. The United States closes out group play tomorrow with a match against Serbia.  It was all USA early as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Azevedo, JW Krumpholz (Santa Ana, CA/USC/NYAC) and John Mann (Newport Beach, CA/California/NYAC). China roared back  to tie the match at 3-3 with just 12 seconds left in the quarter. However, right as time was about to expire in the period Azevedo scored again with just one second left on the clock to put the USA ahead 4-3 going to the second.  Azevedo scored to open the second quarter and put the United States up 5-3 with 5:15 to play but China answered with a score to close back within one at 5-4. Two straight USA goals from Peter Hudnut  (Encino, CA/Stanford/LA Water Polo) and Peter Varellas (Moraga, CA/Stanford/Olympic Club) gave the United States some breathing room at 7-4 with 2:49 to play in the quarter. The Chinese tallied a score shortly thereafter and it was back to two goals at 7-5 moving to halftime.  In the third quarter the United States put the game away with three straights scores as Brian Alexander (Santa Ana, CA/UCSB/Olympic Club), Krumpholz, and Hudnut all connected for a 10-5 lead. China got one back at the 2:13 mark but with just six seconds remaining in the quarter Alexander found the cage to make it a five goal lead at 11-6 after three quarters. The final period saw the United States ice the match as the defense buckled down keeping China off the board and Azevedo and Mann tossed in two more goals to make it a 13-6 match which is how the game would end.  Scoring  USA 13 (4, 3, 4, 2) T. Azevedo 4, B. Alexander 2, J. Krumpholz 2, J. Mann 2,  P. Hudnut 2, P. Varellas 1  CHN 6 (3, 2, 1, 0)

News From FINA

FINA Posts Several Doping Offense Announcements 


June 21, 2011 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 21. FINA has recently announced  several doping offense  punishments levied on aquatic sports athletes from  around the world.  Harrison Jones, a diver from the United States, has been  hit with his second suspension in  as many years. In 2010, Jones tested positive for Cannabis and  was hit with a three-month suspension.  He did not learn his lesson, and tested positive for Cannabis on  Feb. 5, 2011 at the USA Diving  Winter National Championships. USA Diving has banned Jones  for a year, beginning April 6, 2011.  James Stanton, an Australian water polo player, tested positive  for Clenbuterol during an  out of competition test on Sept. 15, 2010. Australian Water Polo  banned Stanton for  two years beginning on Oct. 22, 2010. Stanton's positive test  comes at the same time  that the World Anti-Doping Agency is considering changing  its rules regarding testing for  Clenbuterol. While WADA has denies any plans of introducing  a threshold level when it comes  to Clenbuterol, it has stated that Clenbuterol positives  will be reviewed on a case-by-case  basis as food contamination can lead to Clenbuterol positives.  Zsolt Lutter, a Hungarian water polo player, was banned  by Hungarian Water Polo for  two years for refusing an out-of-competition test on  March 4, 2011. The ban began on  March 24, 2011. Additionally, Hungarian Water Polo  banned Adam Maklari two years  beginning April 27, 2011 for testing positive for  Methandienone following an in-competition test on March 4, 2011.  Romanian water polo player Alex Gabriel Popoviciu  tested positive for Methylhexaneamine  on Feb. 6, 2011 during the National Water Polo Championships.  The Romanian Anti-Doping  Agency banned Popoviciu three months, which began on  March 4, 2011.

Today's Sentinel

Wigo twins named to U.S. water polo team for World University Games

by: Craig Davis June 23rd, 2011 | 10:03 AM

Former Northeast High standouts Janson (left) and Drac Wigo will play for the U.S. in the World University Games. (Craig Davis, Sun Sentinel)

Fort Lauderdale’s Drac and Janson Wigo cleared a major hurdle in their quest to play on the U.S. water polo team in next year’s London Olympics by gaining selection for the upcoming World University Games.


The identical twins were among 13 named to the U.S. team that will compete in Shenzen, China, Aug. 11-23.


The World University Games is considered a steppingstone to the Olympics. It was the route taken by the twins’ older brother Wolf Wigo, who played on the last U.S. team to win a gold medal in the event in 1993. Wolf Wigo went on to play on the American team in the next three Olympics.


Drac and Janson led Northeast High to state titles in 2005 and 2006 before following their brother’s path to Stanford, where both earned All-American honors in each of their four years. They played for in the Balkan professional water polo league last year in Split, Croatia.


All of the players named to the U.S. team are from California universities.

Ray Lewis Message via Twitter:

                           "I win the game in practice, 

     so that when the lights come on, I'm ready to dance"

3 Fueling Strategies for the Fit Female

By: Jenna A. Bell, PhD, RD 
Registered Dietitian & Board Certified Specialist

As a fit female, you work smart, play hard, have fun challenging your body and recognize that nutrition is important. When it comes to exercise, you may be contemplating your first or fifth physical challenge — whether it's a 5K, three-day walk to support a cause, an Ironman or a water polo tournament— you are discovering and cultivating your inner athlete. Similar to how you live your life, you strive to find balance. Each day you weigh your options to achieve your nutrient needs, meet the demands of your workouts and nourish your soul. Here are three ways to help you fuel your inner athlete while maintaining that fine balance.

1. Variety is the Spice of Life

As a fit female, you recognize that food is fuel. Food provides the nutrients necessary to get you through your workout, support your nutritional needs and supply your day with energy. That said, you might also realize that food should be enjoyed and really, a variety of food is the spice of life. By consuming a varied diet, you will accomplish all of these goals. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages us to build a healthy eating pattern by consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, eating whole grains, choosing fat-free and low-fat dairy, enjoying an array of protein foods, such as seafood, lean meats, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts and soy products, and focusing on better fats, like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Consider these tips to add variety to your diet and life: 

• Venture into unchartered territories... in the supermarket. Pick up a food that you haven't cooked with before and find a recipe to create a quick and easy meal with it. For example, if you rarely prepare parsnips, buy one and find a new recipe online to serve it up!
• 'Tis the season. Shop for foods in season. Don't say no. Avoid eliminating entire food groups from your meal plan. If you don't drink milk, don't say no to yogurt or low-fat cheese!
• Switch your protein. Swap steak for seafood, try lean ground turkey instead of ground beef, top a grain with unsalted nuts or beans instead of meat, see what you can do with tofu or even complement greens with a poached egg. Mix and match your foods with alternate protein sources.
• Have good taste. Healthy food doesn't need to be bland. Try adding fresh herbs and spices to add zing to a vegetable stew, flavor a brown rice dish with parsley and mint, use mustard seed on chicken breast or chop fresh basil for a tasty tomato sauce.

2. Mind your Vitamins and Minerals

There are several nutrients that are especially important to athletic women. Achieving an adequate intake of iron, calcium and B vitamins will help the fit female maintain her performance and a healthy body. Because these nutrients are so important, you'll find food options that support a women's healthy lifestyle. For example, Iron Girl™ energy bar by PowerBar® provides 40% of the Daily Value (DV) for Iron, 20% DV for calcium and for B vitamins: 45% DV riboflavin, 35% DV niacin, 40% DV vitamin B6, 20% DV folate and 25% DV pantothenic acid. Here's why these nutrients are remarkable:

• Iron: Low iron stores is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies seen in athletes, especially women.(1) Iron helps carry oxygen around the body and to working muscles. If you have insufficient iron stores, it can cause fatigue and negatively impact performance — during your workouts and your day.
• Calcium: Most women understand that calcium is important for bone health. Without adequate calcium and vitamin D, there is an increased risk for low bone mineral density and stress fractures. Calcium also plays a role in muscle contraction, nerve activity and blood clotting.
• B Vitamins: B vitamins help convert food to energy. Adequate intake of B vitamins is important to ensure optimum energy production and the building and repair of muscle tissue.

3. Eat for your Exercise

Running on empty will likely lead to a short, slow jog. The experts assert that a pre-exercise meal will improve your performance. Before you tie your laces, clip-in or start an exercise class, give your body the fuel it needs to get you through your workout. Choose foods that are moderate in protein, low in fat and fiber to minimize gastric distress, and focus on foods that are high in carbohydrate to provide you lasting energy. It can be as simple as an energy bar, peanut butter and jelly sandwich or fruit and low-fat yogurt a couple of hours before your exercise bout. Include hydration in your pre-exercise plan as well: have 14–20 fluid ounces about 2–3 hours before you get started.

By making nutrition part of your plan to lead a healthier lifestyle, your finish-line dreams and fitness goals can be realized and enjoyed with good health.

From a SSG's spectator

*** SoFlo received this email & because it was so passionately written we've decided to post it in it's entirety. 

In a South Florida Water Polo Club semi final yesterday morning against the Orlando’s Serpents a great battle occurred, Chase Koplow and Eric Goldenberg played magnificently keeping us (SFWPC) in the game and together became the team’s top scorers. With 27-seconds left in the game and the score 10-9 Orlando we (SFWPC) figured that victory would be our opponents. RJ Moore took a foul at 8-meters and from that distance threw a straight shot hammering the left high corner tying the score. RJ got another chance to win it when the ball turned over and with 2-seconds left he took a lob shot that landed in the hands of the opposing goalie. A shoot out commenced to determine the winner. RJ as team captain called the coin toss for tails and selected to go second in the shoot out. SFWPC missed one shot whereas the Serpents missed two and the game went into the record books as a win for us.

In the finals against St. Andrews, the club most reviled by SFWPC, the first quarter nearly went scoreless as both sides shot and missed or were blocked. RJ Moore took one shot in the first minutes of the game and barred out, that would be the last missed shot for him in this game. With 28-seconds left to the first quarter RJ tipped in the first goal of the game. With 2 seconds left Bruce Espinoza closed the quarter with a full court skip shot giving SFWPC a 2-0 lead. For the rest of the game RJ Moore lived up to his nom de guerre as his Category Five blog is so titled scoring goal after goal. RJ scored twice more before the end of the half while we hung on by a deficit of one point. By this time the opposing goalie was screaming at his team to one, not let RJ get the ball and two, for God’s sake don’t foul him outside the five-meter. One of RJ’s goals was a lob shot that he placed on the goalie side of the goal that miraculously got past the goalie. This earned him a rolling of the eyes from a smiling Coach Laszlo "Laci" Gyori  as he looked towards the Heavens in sincere thanks. RJ scored twice more in the third quarter employing his signature outside shot that always seemed to find the high corner of the goal. RJ made one more goal in the fourth for an 11 to 6 score. Then in a completely classy move Coach Laci pulled the first team and put in the bench to end the game. By the time RJ was pulled from the water he had scored 6 of 11 SFWPC goals. The final score was 13 to 9 when SFWPC made a final shot with seconds left in the game. Other scorers were Bruce Espinoza, Chase Koplow, Eric Goldenberg, CJ and Brandon Bogumill.

Note of Interest: In the first game of the tournament RJ had a five meter penalty shot. On the refs whistle he skipped the shot and barred out on the top bar of the goal. The ball launched itself 20-feet in the air and was descending just behind RJ’s head. RJ launched himself upwards and at the apex of his “getting up big” he caught the ball. Time nearly stopped in the Natatorium as both sides held their breath as RJ while still high out of the water catapulted the ball with the power & uncanny accuracy of a medieval Trebuchet into the far right corner of the goal. At 6 foot 6 inches this was quite a sight to see, Coach Laci later claimed he had never seen such a shot in his whole water polo career. 

All in all, the 16-year old team showed who they were as they rose to the occasion in the 18-under divison. Coach Laci did a fantastic job keeping the teams head together with intense pre-game meetings that other teams seemed to forgo as part of their preparation.

I looked over at RJ's Dad Jody, who I've know for several years and saw him beaming with pride. A truly fitting sight on Father's Day.

Hopefully you'll post this email at least in part, thanks for this great blog. Coaches and parents who don't participate are missing out on a great opportunity to give the kids their due.